Mask of the Moon
by MM08
Summary: Born a dhampir, a creature that is not even supposed to exist, Sousuke must wear lies like a mask to survive between a country of vampires, the world of hunters, and his fated purpose. Prequel to Reflection of the Moonless Sky. Pairing to be revealed later. Yaoi to come.
1. Prologue Part 1

For thousands of years, there was a mountain that remained untouched by and of the countries that surrounded its borders. The black mountains of Hueco Mundo had been occupied as a permanent residence by vampires and the humans they kept for blood. Naturally, human civilization avoided it at all cost. The mountains had once been volcanic leaving the soil rich and plenty of caverns that were natural defenses against enemies and the sun.

Since its founding the kings and queens of Hueco Mundo had been determined by power alone. Smaller territories were held by the counts and countesses of the noble houses and bloodlines. Status in the black mountains was earned, no one was born and ushered into power like humankind. Only those who had proven they were strong enough to defend their claim and cunning enough to protect their people kept the Obsidian Throne of Las Noches. It was the same with acceptance into noble families. Members had once been carefully chosen and scrutinized to uphold ancient names and bloodlines. That all changed hundreds of years ago when King Claybryn Luisenbarn decided that it would be his descendants that held power over Hueco Mundo.

The Luisenbarns were certainly a force to be reckoned with, they still held the throne well with their supporters and might. Yet their focus shifted from protecting vampires from humankind and towards conquering and building an empire. Many noble houses followed suit and started giving places of honor to their children rather than those who fought hard to earn rank and favor. Generations passed and it was becoming clear Hueco Mundo was suffering for this wave of nepotism. A schism was forming in their society between those who had been born vampires and those who were turned from humans.

Then from seemingly nowhere two mighty figures emerged to build a force that fought to topple the corruption of the old ways. A pair of dhampir, rare and powerful beings that were born of the union of human and vampire with all the strengths of the night dwellers, with none of their weakness of sunlight. There was Ava, a beauty with a sun-kissed complexion and light blonde curls that framed her piercing yellow gaze. Clad in blood red armor she wielded thin, twin blades with grace and speed. She could even ride a horse using only her knees to guide the beast, freeing her hands to make swift work of passing enemies. Then there was Bram, a towering figure with long chestnut hair often stained with blood, his eyes darker than midnight. He wielded a great axe nearly as tall as he was and used it to cleave his enemies in twain without mercy.

Word spread quickly across the mountains of their march and all sorts aligned themselves with their army from rogues in thin clothes with poisoned daggers to seasoned fighters in their heavy wrought armor and blood stained axes. Even those who were known throughout Hueco Mundo as the protectors of the great vampire houses joined their cause. It was no secret that many of the traditional houses loathed the Luisenbarns and were ready to lend their aid.

But sadly, this was not the story of two mighty champions destined to destroy the corruption in our land from its roots. Through a cruel twist of fate that mantle eventually fell to me, their son. Though it would be quite a journey before I was ready to accept it.

We were all born to House Sakisabe, a lesser noble house, though one of the oldest bloodlines. Before the war began the household went into hiding in the caverns below the manor. That is where I spent my entire upbringing. Needless to say by my late teens I had grown restless of waiting for the end of the war to be free to see the world. Everyone who was worth anything in regards to teaching magic and fighting had gone off to war. Thus I was left with nothing to do but read all day and night and try to find a way out.

As House Sakisabe dated back more than a millennium the caverns had undergone generations of infrastructure and enhancements to make the space self-sustaining for times such as these. I took advantage of my small body to explore every nook and cranny despite the fact it was absolutely forbidden by the elders. Over a decade of exploring and I still could not find the entrance to the upper manor and outside world. What I did find ranged from sensible things like unused training rooms and hot spring baths, to much more puzzling and worrying things like a very large nursery and a locked room full of rusted old beds covered in chains. The last one I was only able to see through a very small fissure. I couldn't imagine what it was like for humans who didn't possess any ability to see in the dark. I had only read about humans and the way vampire authors described them it was hard to believe they looked and acted the same as us. I was crawling along a narrow space on my hands and knees when I heard a stern voice echo through the cavern.

"Sousuke! Get down from there we can see you!"

Great. Caught again. I stayed absolutely still, hedging my bets that they were bluffing.

"If you refuse to show yourself and we come up and find you there any way, you will be banned from the war reports for a year."

Ouch. That was literally the worst punishment I think I could suffer down here. After I double checked there was absolutely no places to crawl further into I gave up and climbed down. from the recess in the cave and glared up at Count Choujiro Sakisabe and his attendants. With his silver, perfectly grromed hair and moustache and towering stature I always felt so laughably pathetic standing before him with my small, childlike body and mousy brown hair that never sat quite right.

"What were you doing this time?" He glowered, fully aware I was trying to find an escape and/or places I was not meant to see.

"Just getting some exercise," I lied through my teeth, trying to force an innocent gaze. I needed to practice it more.

"You are to be a prince when this all over with, start behaving like one and not some rapscallion off the streets." Sakisabe turned with a huff. "We are to hurry if we are to catch the rendezvous time. I have half a mind to ban you from this report as well, but you will just try to sneak off again once we close the doors."

"A prince? Doesn't that defeat the point of this war," I murmured as I followed. The recent war reports indicated that the Barragan Luisenbarn had taken a queen from one of his many conquered vampire territories. It wouldn't be long before the new generation of Luisenbarn whelps were being groomed to rule the colonies in their father's stead.

"What did you say?!"

I furrowed my brow and bit my tongue. The war council was the only time I ever got to see my parents. To see anyone who seemed to remotely care for me. Now wasn't the time to be petty.

"It's nothing…."

Too late. The slap fell across my cheek and the sound echoed along the stone walls.

"When Ava and Bram take Las Noches you will represent both the royal family and House Sakisabe. The title of prince will be in name alone, but you will behave yourself as such regardless. Do not talk back to me."

"Yes sir…" I murmured as we continued down the hall, holding my cheek.

I was used to regular abuse from the house elders. They revered my mother and father as gods, but treated me like a nuisance. Back then I had read that vampire children aged much slower than humans, but I did not have a full grasp on how small I was compared to humans the same age. It probably only made me seem more like a brat than a real member of the household. I tried to find out more about why there were not more dhampir across history if we were so powerful. Occasionally I would question the others on how my parents came to be, but they would just tell me it was inappropriate to question such things.

Everyone rose as the count entered. There were twelve vampires besides myself who lived in the cavern who were servants or members of the bloodline. At the time I did not find it odd that they all wore long hooded cloaks of crimson. With the exception of the count who wore a robe of black with red trim and lining. The count's niece Cirucci, the only one who ever seemed to tolerate my presence, patted the seat next to her. I made a small relieved smile and joined her.

Where an ordinary war council room would usually have a large table for maps and fist pounding, we had a round pool of water set to waist level. I still had to stand on my chair to see properly across the thing. Count Sakisabe unlocked a chest with a key he kept on a chain around his neck. Inside were numerous vials of blood labeled with the names of the original donors. He cut his thumb and let his blood fall into the pool alongside a drop from the vial. Many vampires were born with an innate power known as a Curse that gave them at least one extraordinary ability. Sakisabe's allowed him to see through anyone's eyes as long as he had a sample of their blood. I desperately hoped I would develop a Curse of my own someday. Especially something that would let me go through walls or hide my presence. Humans had special abilities too called Gifts that were oddly specific sometimes for hunting our kind and protecting their own.

It was a bit clumsy timing communications with my parents as there was no way to send a message to the army with any of the Curses among us. Sending ravens with letters was too risky as they could be intercepted. All we could ever do was to be sure to gather the night of the full moon, an hour before sunrise, the time that had been agreed upon when the campaign began.

My mother, Ava, appeared on the surface of the water, polishing her blades by candlelight in her tent. My face lit up. Sometimes there was fighting that had to be done during the designated time. While it was wonderful to see the war in action, nothing was better than seeing my mother's smiling face. Her infamous blood red armor rested in pieces along the table. She smiled with her sharp yellow eyes as she addressed us.

"Hello everyone, if you can hear me. We have set up camp about a day's march outside of Oscuro pass. After sunrise I'll be going ahead with some of the free range slaves. When House La Vaar joined the cause they provided us with some choice vamp spearmen and some reliable human slaves with some rare healing Gifts. We will spend the week taking in as much intel as we can on the surrounding area. There won't be much movement until we can decide our plan of infiltration. That being said, initial reports are that the troops are thinning and many Luisenbarn deserters have joined us. We will speak with them individually on the palace defenses and compare their stories to ensure none are spies sent to sabotage us. With the royal wedding over, defenses are currently high, we will need to see if it is maintained."

The count had settled into using only blood to see through my father's eyes. Bram did not like to speak much unless necessary so it was often my mother or one of the fellow members of House Sakisabe that gave their reports.

Once this war was over I wanted nothing more than to sit and talk as a family, just the three of us. I didn't care about any of this talk of royalty, war and glory. I wanted to learn horseback riding and swordplay from Mother. I craved to learn Father's technique where he used hemomancy to strengthen his muscles right before striking enemies. But most of all I wanted to be crushed between them in a loving embrace, laughing together over some absurd nonsense.

When the council was over the count had me escorted back to my room and immediately locked inside. Since I barely ever left the library they let me convert it into my bedroom. Books were the only way I could escape this hole and learn about all the things on the outside. I needed no more than my bed and a wardrobe to be moved in and I already had a palace of my own. I went and checked the hidden passageway behind a bookcase and the hidden door on the ceiling of the closet. Still both intact and accessible, at least from this end. I decided to feed then get in some reading while I waited for everyone else to sleep for the day. I went to my own chest of vials with one hundred and seventeen vials remaining of my parent's blood.

It was one of the most closely guarded secrets of a dhampir closely guarded secrets, but our powerful bodies were very difficult to maintain. Ordinary human or vampire blood was not sufficient to satisfy us unless we consumed an absurd quantity. Essentially all the blood from a single human body or large animal, which was an unpleasant and time-consuming endeavor to drink them dry. Only the blood of another dhampir could ever truly sate the hunger. It was only because mother and father had each other they had been able to survive and feed me as well. Every time I opened the drawer of blood vials they had left for me I thought about how long it must have taken for them to collect these before they set off to march. Once someone had left a vial of human blood behind in the war council and I had quietly pocketed it. When I drank it later I was sorely disappointed that it was indeed like drinking water.

I uncapped a vial and drank. For no particular reason I tried to alternate between Mother and Father's blood

With a little water from a pitcher, and a shake to clean the vial and I drank that too. Getting a new delivery from the front lines was basically impossible and the household had not figured out an alternative food source for me in the meantime.

Even after all my exploration I still couldn't figure out where the others got their blood. Did they have human slaves chained up in their rooms? Did they all share with one another? It likely had something to do with the main house above us or a part of the caverns I had yet to find. According to my texts most noble manors in Hueco Mundo were like iceburgs. Only a couple stories that could be visible from the land, but many more beneath the earth. Some routes became lost with cave ins and those who knew the cavern's secrets passing on. While I liked to fantasize about all the places I would run off to if I could find a way out of the caverns, I was tied to this blood. I could take all of it with me, but there was no telling how long it would last before I could find the war front and be reunited with my real family.

After putting the empty vial away I fell back on my bed with one of the books I was working through. It was a journal of a merchant that lived in the capital city of Hueco Mundo about a century ago, talking about the blood and human slave trade and other daily life in the city. I turned a page and beamed as the merchant included a sketch of the palace at Las Noches, on the highest peak, surrounded by moonlight. I often wondered what it would be like in the palace at Las Noches if we did ever take it for ourselves. If there was and good documentation or schematics of the place we didn't have it in our library. It was a fortress, after all, therefore it wasn't like much would be out in public in the first place. All I could ever find were rare, passing mentions like this. I traced my finger along the highest tower, determining that's where I would live. High above the ground, as far away from the cold, dark caverns as possible. I read a bit more on the complicated process of selecting and distributing slaves for the Blood Moon sacrifice. The purpose of the custom still eluded me, I would have to see if there was something else in the library that went into better detail later. I bookmarked the journal and rolled over to the bed stand and grabbed, Aizen's Trail of Blood , one of my favorites, a set of short stories I was re-reading for the umpteenth time.

The countess gazed at the dark red surface of the pool, blood so thick no light could pierce into its depths. It stood in a beautiful contrast to the white porcelain tub with its rim patterned in twisting gold vines. The countess dropped her silken robe exposing her milky skin almost as pale as the porcelain her long, greying hair shimmered down her back. Only then did she notice the cloaked figure in the window.

"Aizen? I hope you are only here but to see the result of your work."

"I am not here to steal coin or glimpses of flesh, my lady. I wish to see that you first get what you were promised in exchange for your husband's gold. The blood of twenty virgin youth it a potent medium for a spell of eternal beauty, but without the proper majicks it is but a gruesome soak for your ladyship."

"I hope there was enough stock from my dungeons."

"After you had nearly every young girl in the town imprisoned it was more than enough," he said.

She eased in carefully and the warm, thick liquid tingled against her skin. Submerging herself in its depths she smiled, feeling the magic spread and cling to her body. "At last!" she thought to herself, remembering the beauty of her youth, the endless gifts and suitors and envious glances it brought her. It was once again hers to command. The countess had not an ounce of guilt she had this stranger slaughter the beautiful girls and boys of the village if she could have beauty everlasting.

Once she emerged she began to pour clear water down her arms and chest, yet the red color did not wash away. "Curious, she thought. The blood must have been thicker than she imagined.

"Aizen, be a dear and fetch me a towel."

"Of course your ladyship."

The countess began to scrub and scrub her skin with the cloth provided, but no matter what the color would not fade. The horror began to set in and she fled to the mirror and saw that her entire body was now stained a deep crimson red from head to toe.

"You said this was a spell for beauty!" She screamed, lunging herself at the vampire. He lept out of the way and floated in the air outside her window.

"Yes, I find crimson to be one of the most beautiful of colors. It truly suits your devilish soul. Did you think I would truly slaughter twenty innocents so that you might reverse the wrinkles in your cheeks and the grey in your hair? Pig's blood shall suffice. I used their meat to feed the children you tried to starve for their crime of youth and beauty. Now that the transaction is complete I'll see myself out." Aizen spread his great wings and disappeared into the night sky.

She scrubbed and scrubbed and soaked endlessly in clear waters, but no matter how much she washed her skin was now stained the color of blood for all the world to see her sin.

The village folk were overjoyed when their missing sons and daughters returned, singing the praises of a mysterious man that saved them when they were sure they had met their doom. N one ever heard from the countess again, but the village began to speak of a devil that came out only at night, seeking to steal the beauty of anyone unfortunate enough to cross her path.

"So cool…" I murmured, sticking in a bookmark and sitting up. Another reason I hated the talk of becoming a prince, is it sounded like a rather dull existance. I would much rather travel the world as a mysterious vigilante, fighting injustice and saving those who had nowhere else to turn.

After stuffing some pillows under my covers to create a facsimile of myself I pressed my ear again my door to ensure no one was approaching. When all was clear I climbed up past the false ceiling of my closet and began the long journey back to the cavern I was investigating earlier. I was sure it was not a passage I had seen before. Eventually I reached a blockade of rubble that had blocked my path earlier. After nearly an hour of clearing it away I was able to move forward again until I found an opening that was boarded off. My eyes widened as I pressed my ear to the other side and heard muffled weeping. The sound was feminine, but didn't resemble any of the women of the household. I grabbed a tool from my pocket and began prying out the nails.

Finally I emerged and found a row of cells with barred iron doors. The cries were now resounding through the room and shook me to my core, nearly driving me to tears myself from the pain they carried. One cell contained a woman doubled over in pain. Her silvery hair was long and tangled and her face pale and tear stained. What left me most in awe was her huge pregnant belly peering through a thin dress. I shook my head and tried to wrap my head around the situation.

"Please, Miss, my name is Sousuke, can I help you somehow?" I asked in the most innocent child voice I could manage.

She looked up, her irises were blue, but her eyes were red and puffy from crying

"Who..who are you?" She wiped her eyes with a sleeve. "You must be one of the children. One of the dhampir children."

"I-I am. Are there others?"

"Oh sweet child you do not know?"

I shook my head, dumbfounded.

"House Sakisabe is a **cult.** They **made** you."


	2. Prologue Part 2

The caged vampiress laughed and laughed at my puzzled expression. That was until her laughter turned back to tears and then back to laughter again. Fantastic, the first person I had ever encountered outside the household and she had gone mad after whatever they had done to her.

"They took us. Stole us off the streets and from our homes. Stole our bodies, stole our dignity, store our…..stolen stolen stolen stolen!" She sobbed, clinging to the bars. "They stole humans too, they forced us to breed. Breed like we were farm animals. Breed and breed and breed until we made dhampir for their stupid god."

"I'm...I'm so sorry." I murmured, slack-jawed. Even I, who only knew the outside world through books, understood the gravity of what she was telling me.

"Goodness sweet child do not apologize." She giggled and smiled, her face pressing between the bars, her eyes not looking quite at me. "It's not your fault you were a success. In fact, be overjoyed you weren't one of the children that was drained and discarded as soon as they knew they were not their precious dhampir."

"What did they need dhampir for?" My skin crawled and I began to feel sick.

"Something something something father of all vampires. Something something something the bloodless emperor will rise again and purify this land." She sat back and started rubbing her round belly. "I guess they wanted to make a body that the first vampire could occupy? That's silly though. Why would someone called the bloodless emperor want a body full of blood? I mean it's right there in the name? Silly silly silly cultists."

"How long was this going on?" So many questions were being answered, but my head quickly filled with new ones to take their place. My parents were easily more than one hundred years old. How long had this been going on for?

"They gave us making us breed and breed and breed only a little while ago. And one by one they've decided to use us as livestock instead of breeding stock. They've drained everyone dry to feed themselves and destroy evidence of everything they did. I was the last to bear a child, so I will be the last to go." The tears returned and she hugged her belly tighter. "I don't have anything left, they can kill me for my vitae for all I care. I just don't want them to have my babe. They'll cut his tiny throat and drain him right in front of me."

I toiled at if there was any hope of saving this vampiress as much as these words tore at my heart. Even if I could pick the lock, would I be able to get her out safely? Would she be capable of following along in her state?

"Miss, if you birth the babe I'll hide it away safe until I can find both of you a way out."

Her eyes brightened and she smiled a delirious smile.

"Oh sweet child, would you?"

I nodded and patted her hands from where they clung to the bars. At the time I was just trying to comfort her while I continued to search for a way out. Then the very next night I returned with some blankets and tools that would help me pick the lock, but recoiled at what I found.

The child had been born and in the strain of childbirth she must have perished. Her body had shriveled like a mummy and her silver hair was now dry, brittle and gray. The child had a tuft of silver hair and was wailing through a mouth covered in dried blood from where he lay in her shrunken, bony arms. There was clotted, dark wound over her chest, above her heart, where she must have fed him for the first and last time.

I was horrified and fascinated. I had only read about a vampire's death in books. If a vampire slain their bodies degraded rapidly. We were essentially living corpses after all, once the vitae was gone. My heart sank, knowing I had been powerless to change her fate, but still felt guilty as if there was anything I could have truly done besides give her comforting words. I didn't even know what her name had been.

She was slumped against the bars when she had passed so I could reach the infant, small enough to slip between the iron. Sousuke held the tiny being and inspected it as he tried to clean him off. Male, cold body, no teeth yet. I shivered, now realizing she must have clawed or bit at her own flesh to draw blood for the babe to feed. If what I knew about myself was any indication, this babe was definitely not a dhampir. My body temperature had always been surprisingly high and this babe was like a soft, cold sack of cream. Though it was not meant to be a promise, more soothing words to a drowning soul, I decided I would try to keep my word and hide him away.

It was quite a task trying to sneak the child back through the narrow tunnel. I reached a point where I realized there was no safe way to make it through the ceiling in the closet safely. I would have to use the path that led behind my bookcase since the front door to the library was still locked. The last part of that stretched through a main path of the catacombs, I rushed down it as quickly and quietly as I could, the babe held tight to my chest. He started to stir and whimper and I shushed him, swinging open the hidden door and slamming it shut just as he began to wail. It began to dawn on me what a monumental task I had taken upon myself to keep the child safe from vampires that probably wanted him dead.

After he finally stopped crying I attempted to make him a bed. There were a few crates in the library storage. I found an empty one and cleaned it of cobwebs and made a bed of a pillow and a few layers of my old shirts. I wasn't sure how to clothe him so I dressed him in my smallest, oldest shirts.

Finally I had a chance to sit and process everything. The vampiress had been crazy, but everything she said lined up with the peculiar things I had found in the caverns. I would have to start searching the library to more information on this bloodless emperor.

As I stared down at the child it dawned on me that I had damned this child. By taking responsibility for his nurturing I was forcing him into a vampire's unlife of bloodshed and shadows. I played at the thin, soft white hairs on his head. He would age no different than me. Was letting him live a life where we would probably be stuck in this cave as well be any better than death?

My heart nearly slept through my throat when I heard a knock at my door and the sound of keys jingling. I hurried to slide the crate under my bed and grabbed a book, opening to a random page. Cirucci entered the library and closed the door behind her, a box under one arm.

"Cirucci? What's the matter?"

"Do not go telling anyone, just take this." She placed the box on the bed. Inside was a stack of clean children's shirts, blankets, small pillows and some crude wooden toys like blocks, balls and animals. She opened a tin that contained a sewing kit with needles, thread and shears. "I can show you how to use this sometime. As you know resources are limited down here, you should learn to repair and reuse what you can. You need to be more careful, you're lucky I was the only one who spotted you with that babe."

Looks like there was no avoiding the elephant in the room, or the babe as it were. I slid the crate back out from under the bed and set him down between us.

"Here, he won't be comfortable in something this loose, bundle him up like this." Cirucci took a blanket and showed me how to wrap him into a snug little bundle. "The only blessing of raising a suckling vamp babes is there is no need for diapers if you only feed them blood. Speaking of which."

She produced a few full vials marked as human blood from her cloak pocket. "You shouldn't feed him your blood. The vitae levels could kill him. Maybe a few drops every now and then if he's fussy. It'll make him sleep for hours."

"You say this like you have seen it happen," I stared her dead in the eye.

She regarded me and set the vials down.

"Yes, yes I have Sousuke. And you have no idea how confused and relieved I was when I saw you scurrying out of the cavern with him. If you keep him safe and speak of this to no one I will do my best to cover for you. If I can help save at least one of the children, maybe I could sleep through the night for once," she grimaced as tears pricked at the corner of her eyes.

"Why was the house doing this? Who is the bloodless emperor?"

"Yikes Sousuke, one enormous question at a time please," She rubbed her temples and sighed. "I'm not sure myself. The count says he was the first vampire, Juhabach, who had domain over everything living and dead. When he was sealed away thousands of years ago he swore he would return again one day in a being that existed between life and death. The count is convinced he meant a dhampir. I don't want to talk about what we did. Choujiro Sired me, I didn't have any choice in the matter. I was human and wished dearly to have the glamorous life of a vampiress from the stories. I was a fool and agreed to serve the first vampire who offered to take me into their fold. And now here I am, stuck underground haunted by the screams of all the people, vamps and children I've hurt."

She could have been lying, but I wanted to believe her. If for no other reason than she actually took the time to help me and talk to me. Something no one else in the underground bothered it. I wanted to hate Cirucci, but if she was actually going to protect us, I had to control my anger. This was clearly distressing her just as much.

"Then my parents?"

"Two of our few successes. Your mother could talk a fish out of water and your father was stronger than any of us could ever hope to be. You should have seen the fury in the count's eyes when he realized he couldn't control them. The war was their idea and none of us could stop them if we tried. The count saw this as a sign that one of them was clearly the second coming of Juhabach if they wished to topple the Luisenbarns and what they stood for."

"That didn't stop the dhampir breeding, did it though?"

"No." She huffed "It didn't."

I needed to drop the topic for now it seemed.

"Can you tell me more about them. My parents?"

"Not tonight, I've already spent too much time here. I'll check in on him every now and then and bring new blood, but I have to be careful too. And for his sake you have to stop sneaking around, you have to think about his safety too now."

She started to leave and stopped as I ran up and hugged her around her waist, my face buried in her red cloak.

"Thank you Cirucci, for everything."

She hugged me back and patted my head.

"You're welcome, Sousuke. Please be careful."

Cirucci was good on her word. Two years passed without incident and she brought fresh blood and new clothes as he grew. I only asked her about my parents, never the breeding project. It was mostly amusing accounts of how easily my mother fooled the household to do what she wanted or how my father had no control of his absurd strength.

Now that I wasn't sneaking around I had more time to dig deeper into my library for more information on the bloodless emperor. I initially overlooked a ton of useful accounts initially for some older texts spelled his name as Yhwach or Yujabakk. Accounts on the origin of all vampires varied, but most agreed that he was a being that could freely give and take vitae, the energy of life itself, the energy in blood that fed vampire kind and gave us false life. Every single creature, both living and dead, was his to command. Some wrote of him as a monster, others a savior and vampires were his believers that had scorned him, their damned life a divine punishment.

I grew about two inches and the babe was able to walk now. While I was glad he was growing it was now harder to keep him in one place for long. At least he liked it when I read to him, it was a nice break from my research. After a time he only ever wanted me to read Nice Tricky Tales of Ichimaru Gin, stories of a trickster silver fox. He had good taste. Cirucci had warned me not to give him a name until we made it out of the hiding. But I was getting tired of called him "babe" and he always laughed and clapped when I opened the book. One night I poked his nose and said "Your name is Gin now. It suits you." I said pulling his hair up into two silver ears.

"Gin! Gin! Gin!" He bounced up and down and clapped.

Gin loved to latch onto me while he slept; but I couldn't sleep with this tiny cold body clinging onto me like a leech. I finally took Cirucci up on her offer to teach me how to sew and gathered together some old clothes. After a few nights, several pricked fingers and a great deal of patience I had made him a soft fox-shaped toy made out of a torn grey shirt, complete with blue button eyes. Gin loved it and would waddle around the library dragging his namesake with him and hugged it close to sleep every morning.

One night Gin was crying again. I had to be quick to comfort him in case one of the cultists was passing by. I couldn't just keep feeding him my vitae even if it did make him sleep instantly. I picked him up and bounced him around and went up to the dressing mirror.

"Look Gin that's you!" I said holding him closer and pointing at the surface. Gin's crying slowed to a whimper. He reached out to our reflection and batted at it with his hand. I wished I had brought over a toy for him to wave around, maybe the stuffed rabbit. In a moment I will never forget the rabbit just...appeared. We stared at the thing in his tiny hand and immediately puzzled at what had happened. Trying to touch it I realized it wasn't actually there at all. I imagined one of his other toys, the chipped, wooden elephant, suddenly it was there instead of the rabbit. Gin laughed and waved it around. He tried to hit the mirror with it, but it made no sound and didn't seem to actually connect.

An illusion.

I stepped back a bit and imagined Gin had pink hair, suddenly his silver mop was replaced with rosy pink curls. He giggled even more as I set him down in front of the mirror and concentrated. All around us I began to think of all sorts of images. Beasts, fish, fowl, clouds, rain, suddenly all the things I had only seen in my books were appearing before me with a single thought.

I had to sit down, alright so this was my Curse. It manifested in such a simple, quiet manner, I was expecting something more bombastic.

"Gin can you believe it? We're gonna have so much fun with this." I grinned, picking him back up. He proceeded to try and blow bubbles with his spit.

Since the trail of information I could find on the first vampire had ran cold, I would have to wait until we were out of here to find out more. So I began to focus on my newfound powers instead. Anything within my imagination was possible as long as it was a sight or sound. I couldn't quite get a handle on smell, touch or taste. I could alter those senses a little, but not by much, hopefully I could refine those facets of my power later. It seemed I was limited by what I could actually imagine and I had never tasted anything besides my parents blood. I could not simply imagine what a cake or carrots tasted like. While my Curse was exhilarating I had to restrain myself from showing it off to Cirucci.

One night after another slap from the count I thought of an utterly devious plan. If he had done all of these insane breeding experiments thinking that the first vampire would emerge, then there was no way he would dare strike me again if he thought Juhabach had actually picked me as a vessel.

There were very little I could find on what the bloodless emperor actually looked like. All I could do was think back on stories of gods and divine beings and stories where people were possessed by demons, malevolent spirits or ghosts. I tried all sorts of images. Levitating, glowing eyes, eyes filled with darkness, a wind from seemingly nowhere, other worldly voices. The last one was difficult, I had not yet heard a great deal of voices during my existence. The rare few times I had heard my father speak during war council I thought he had a fantastic voice, deep and commanding, I hoped I would have a voice like that someday. I used that as a base and practiced all sorts of ethereal voices.

After plenty of trial and error I created an illusion of what I thought would pass as a good "possession" by Juhabach the bloodless emperor. A slow powerful breeze, levitating a few feet off the ground, eyes filled with nothing but a violet glow.

Something was definitely missing though. I toyed with adding some wings. In the Aizen stories he would sometimes summon a pair of black, bat-like wings, some older legends said he had six. I liked the sound of that and I tried to add both versions to the illusion. It was certainly dramatic, but did not look particularly divine. I tried wings of black flame instead and that seemed to fit a little better, but I was still undecided if it would make the final cut.

I used my Curse to entertain Gin too, but had to restrain myself. I was the only person he ever interacted with besides rare appearances from Cirucci, I was probably distorting his perception of reality.

The war council was no longer the only thing I had to look forward to, though the war seemed to be going along at a good pace finally with reports coming in that the attack on the palace of Las Noches was imminent. I was growing excited, but still wondered how in the world I would explain Gin's existence once we were free.

Then one war council, everything changed.


	3. Prologue Part 3

***If you're one of the ten people that actually read the old chapter 3 before it was taken down, you should read it again since I went and retconned some big parts. Talked with Sari and it really needed it.**

-:-:-:-

The ritual at the beginning of the war council proceeded as usual. The red shimmer spread from the drop of Father's blood out towards the edges of the pool as always. The water turned black and nothing happened. There was a long silence in the war chamber as we waited and waited. None of us had seen this happen before. Sometimes Ava and Bram had to be engaged in combat during rendezvous, but never complete darkness.

"P-perhaps he is resting?" One cultist stammered.

"At the rendezvous time?"

Count Sakisabe's hands trembled, making him fumble the small crystal vial. He caught it and clutched it close to his chest, knuckles white. It was the first time I had ever seen him remotely frightened.

Just then the black water shifted and and image slowly appeared, as if the viewer were just waking. All that could be seen was a long hall, lined with pillars and torches. A figure came into view. A human man with an angular face and long black hair styled out of his face. He wore a white cloak that was designated only to the high ranking officers of the Order. The organization of vampire hunters that protected the country of Seireitei.

"What's a hunter doing there!? Where are they?!" The count bellowed with fury.

"Who are you?" Father's voice sounded through the long chamber.

The man said nothing as his blade glinted and slashed. There was a grunt and the view became violent and shaky before refocusing.

"Interesting," The stranger said. "Is this your vampire blood magic?"

There was no reply.

"It would appear that you can use it to harden your skin and muscle to the point that my blade cannot penetrate your flesh. No matter, we know your secret. You are a bit too far from your beloved and her blood I'm afraid." He gestured to the far end of the hall. It was hard to see at first, but as Bram focused his vision they could all see Ava, stripped of her armor and chained to a pillar. Father must have been in a similar position.

"I imagine the longer you go without her blood the softer your neck will become, we know your secret. I'll be back later." He turned to leave.

"Where...are we?" Bram asked. Though now his focus was not on the man, but instead on Ava with her pale hair tinged with blood and hanging tangled around her face.

"Oh you do not recognize it? This is the Order safehouse, about a days walk from the capitol. Your forces razed it but just a few days ago. Killing over one hundred of our hunters. My name is Ginrei Kuchiki, captain of the Sixth Division and I am here to see that you pay for your crimes."

"Poww and Parduoc…" Bram growled. "We were suspicious we had bad intel from Barragan infiltrators. The Order was never meant to be caught up in this war."

"It doesn't matter what your intentions were, or if you were fooled by Barragan. The Order of Seireitei and Hueco Mundo have several treaties and ordinances in place that keep the tenuous peace. We have no jurisdiction in these borders unless there is a direct attack on our people. One hundred probably means nothing to you monsters, but to us not a single life can be ignored, let alone hundreds." Ginrei turned to leave again. "I will return when you have weakened."

Chaos erupted in the war room, I was basically stunned and Cirucci pulled me from the throng of red cloaked figures shouting and arguing over what to do next. The count did not leave the pool for a full week, constantly checking on my parents who were mostly blacked out, unable to feed and weakening every night. The count was convinced that one of the several vamps they had recruited along the warpath would surely fix this and had the cultists stay put. There was nothing we could do but wait and watch. I spent several days in a row just staring at the ceiling of the library, completely lost on what was happening or what was to come. Everything had been going fine, how could they fall to such a misstep? How had humans captured such legendary fighters? Until one night Gin smacked me right in the face with his book and giggled when I shouted and grabbed my face. I rubbed my cheek and sighed, poking his nose. "You're right, Gin. Moping won't help anyone right now."

I switched my focus and dug around for more information on the Order. I was aware of them, but had no particular interest in Seireitei or it's politics. It seemed to be a country with a monarchy and nobility who handled most governing. But vampire attacks were so frequent their vampire hunter organization became a major influence and might as well have been the second government as many noble houses held high positions in their ranks. I even found a small mention of the Kuchiki house and had to restrain myself from burning the book. I looked up more information on hunters and it seemed there were two types. The Order's hunters who mostly fought with Gifts and only killed vampires that violated the laws protecting humans. Then there was the Quincy. A smaller group who fought with mostly common weaponry and wanted to eradicate all of us.

There was little development from the war room, but the hunter came to check frequently on their status and posted guards when he wasn't present. Until one day the count shouted for everyone down the caverns and we came running. Just as I arrived I saw them hunter and his sword.

I felt the pit of dread open in my gut. The enormous realization that I would never speak with my mother or father ever again came down on me like a waterfall. Nothing was going to happen to change that.

Ginrei raised his blade and from the surface of the water father muttered his last words.

"I am sorry Ava. I am sorry Sousuke."

The pool went black.

I did not look up, but I could feel a dozen pair of eyes upon me. In my dazed state I grasped that I would have time to weep later. I looked up and stared at the count straight in the eye.

"Show me my mother's vision," I commanded.

The count opened his mouth to say something, but instead appraised me for a moment then turned to the chest of vials. The surface rippled with blood and my mother's point of view appeared.

Ginrei was already approaching, bloody blade raised. I felt dizzy and clung to the edge of the pool to keep my composure.

"Oh goodness Captain Kuchiki you're alright!" A soft voice suddenly said. A woman with long braided ebony hair and another white cloak of a captain appeared. He turned to look at her, lowering his sword.

"Captain Unohana, what are you doing all the way out here?"

"Apologies for the intrusion, we did not get any response back confirming suppression of the dhampir threat. I made it here as fast as I could, fearing the worst."

"The messenger ravens were intercepted? That is unusual, thank you for making haste, but everything is under control."

"If I may, I would like to examine them before they perish. Dhampir exceedingly rare and I know you cannot bring them back alive for study."

"You will have to make do with the one that remains. Take your time, it is not as if they are about to run off." Ginrei said, leaving the chamber. As soon as he left the new woman ran up and placed a hand on Mother's cheek.

"Ava, can you speak? Can you move?" She asked with terror in her eyes.

"Dear little Retsu is that you?" My mother's voice was now a shadow of the beautiful laughing timber she always had before.

The captain's eyes glistened with tears as she smiled.

"I didn't think you would recognize me after fifteen years. I'm so sorry I didn't make it sooner. We can talk later, we have to move quickly." She said, disappearing from view, supposedly to break the restraints.

The count scoffed, drawing my attention from the scene. "It's that slave! But how? What is going on?!"

I looked up at him confused, but back at the pool as my mother spoke.

"Listen carefully Retsu, do you remember where the manor is?"

"Roughly, why?" Unohana asked followed by the sound of chains carefully being eased to the stone floor.

"Our little boy is still there waiting for this war to end. Well, I'm afraid that time is about now. Promise me you'll take him away somewhere safe from Barragan and teach him everything we could not?"

"Ava I...yes I mean I could, but you're coming with me. Don't talk like this is over."

"Even if you bring me some of Bram's blood right now I might regain some strength but…" The vision blurred with tears as she blinked, trying to focus on the corpse in the distance. "I'm never going to be whole again. Our followers, our son, I can't be their beacon. Not any more."

"You have to try, Ava! He wouldn't want you to throw your existence away! Forgive me but we need to leave now!" the captain yelled, pulling off the last of the chains.

The image on the water became turbulent as she fell and we heard Ginrei's voice again.

"What in the-?! You clumsy commoner how did she get out?!" The man reappeared in Ava's field of vision, blade drawn.

The scene that followed was such indiscernible chaos we didn't even hear if Mother had any final words before the pool went black. Then we all fell silent.

We waited.

And waited.

The water remained black. My eyes felt hot. I went to rub them and felt wet tears start to fall. In her very last moments Mother had thought of me and sent this strange woman to come save me from this place. And nearly a moment later I had no idea if this woman would survive to find me. I was in an absolute daze. Then I noticed everyone staring at me.

I suddenly felt furious. If they had acted when we had the chance, maybe none of this would have happened. Deep down in my core I wanted to kill them all. I cursed my own weakness then remembered the one ace in my sleeve.

This was definitely not when I expected to pull this stunt, but an opportunity as choice as this one would probably never come again. Honestly if I hadn't been practicing my Curse illusions for months already, I don't think it would have worked under such duress, I had to put away my grieving for later.

I steeled myself a moment, focusing only on the sensation of my heartbeat. I needed a clear focus to alter more than one sense at a time. They saw ripples began to form across the water and a breeze began to blow about my hair and clothes. I stumbled back from the pool and threw my head back, the fake wind now sending my hair upwards as my eyes filled with violet light. At the last second I went ahead with the wings of black flame and made it appear I was using them to rise into the air. Keeping the sound of roaring flames going at the same time as my altered voice would be difficult, but I had to go all in on this gamble. The audible gasp that responded through the room was music to my ears.

"I was hoping to see great things for those two, what a pity." My altered voice resounded with the divine voice I had perfected. The cultists rose with a start.

"What startles you all so?" I said with a sneer. "After all you have done I had expected a warmer welcome from my children." I waited for a response, staring directly at Count Sakisabe. If I could not fool him then this could only end badly. He approached slowly from his place at the table, moving cautiously, face unreadable. I had given him absolutely no reason to believe I had developed a Curse, or so I hoped.

"M-my lord," He swept back his red cloak and kneeled into a deep bow. I grinned. This probably would not have worked under other circumstances, but after losing his two shining stars the count was desperate for hope that all his work was for naught.

"Rise Choujiro." I commanded, lifting a hand. He stood and straightened himself out.

"My lord Juhabach. Is the boy a suitable vessel? Were Ava and Bram not to your liking?"

"They were mere curiosities, I waited and watched and determined I would take them as my servants if they could manage to slay that waste of flesh you call a king. Yet, if they fell to a mere human, what use could they have been to me? Besides, the boy is a pure being, conceived of love rather than chains and torment. Did you think I would be deaf to the cries of my children? Did you think I would be pleased with a body crafted from torment and tears?"

Count Sakisabe was already quite a pale vampire, but somehow managed to become even whiter. I had to decide quickly on how I would proceed. When I had planned this out, it was simply so they would treat me better, I could demand anything now that his spirits were dashed. I decided they would bleed and suffer for what they had done to bring dhampir into this world.

"However, it will all be for naught if the boy cannot feed. He is not grown enough to fully accept my presence. Offer your blood to him in the stead of the mother and father, all of you. If this body survives to maturity it should be suitable. Then I will consider your sins forgiven and you may serve under me in my glorious reign."

"Of course my lord. Anything you ask of us it will be done." The count bowed again, with a noticeable tremble in his hands.

"So be it. Rest assured, I will know if you fail." I let my head drop and made the light fade from my eyes. I made it appear as if I was slowly drifting to the ground as the wind and wings faded until I was a heap on the cavern floor.

"Sousuke!" They began to shout and gather. Someone started to pick me up. I panicked thinking they might try to bring me back to my room where Gin would be waiting. Sleepily I groaned and opened my eyes. I had to decide quickly if I was going to pretend not to remember anything. I decided it was better to pretend I had no memories of the "emperor" and recall them later if necessary.

"Mother…..Father…" I murmured, very real tears gathered in my eyes.

"Sousuke..." For the first time ever the count kneeled to my level and wiped away my tears with his handkerchief. "I am sorry you had to see that. We will take care of you until we have a better idea of what is happening at the front lines. We will protect you from those hunters, whatever the cost."

"Th-thank you." I stammered. Embracing him, as much as it sickened me, to ensure he still only saw me as a weak child who had to depend on him. I could not give any hint that I wanted nothing more than for osmeone ot come nad slay them all.

-:-:-:-

Cirucci came to check on me once it sounded like the chaos in the halls had subsided.

"Hey Sousuke, just let me know if you need anything okay?"

"Who was that woman? Why did she know mother?" I muttered from my prone position on the bed.

"I guess that was Retsu. She was one of our free range slaves, followed at your mother's heels whenever she wasn't on a mission. She left with them for the war, but I guess she escaped? We're all as confused as you are. I'm sorry you had to see all of that."

"It was my choice to stay. I just need space right now, alright?"

She left and I continued to stare at the ceiling, my head was a non-stop whirlwind of everything that had transpired and questions that only opened more questions. Was my mother actually dead? Was this Retsu woman safe? Was our location compromised to these hunters? Worst of all my heart couldn't even fathom that they were just….gone. I had clung to the hope that we would all be a happy family someday and it was just...over.

Gin crawled up from under the bed, dragging his fox toy with him, completely unaware of what was happening. He made a little yawn and clung to my side. Well, I guess I did have something of a family, I thought to myself. It was only then that I realized how absolutely exhausted I was and let sleep take me.

-:-:-:-

After I fell asleep I dreamed I was sitting one of many great pillars of ice, stranded in a dark, frozen wasteland. The sky was swirls of moonlit indigo and violet clouds and whatever ground might lay beneath the pillars was swallowed in dark mist. I certainly had dreams before that felt realistic, but nothing like this. The ground beneath me was freezing, the wind tore into my skin. In the distance, another pillar formed and on it stood a figure cloaked in shadow. I turned, ready to call out to it, but all around me the sound of laughter echoed across the wintery sky.

"You are more entertaining than I anticipated, that was quite a ruse boy."

I stood up, trying to get a better look at him, not quite believing what I was seeing.

"You're-you're the bloodless emperor?"

"Indeed boy."

"Then...then the count was correct all along?"

"Not necessarily."

"How are we speaking like this?"

"A part of me exists in all...vampires." He hesitated over that word for some reason. "Only a few possess enough vitae to reach me. However, I see you have great potential and may be able to aid me in my time of need. I do not wish to possess a new vessel, I fear only my true body can bear the weight of my power. It is sealed away, but I could not even tell you where."

"Who sealed you away? And why?"

"It is a terribly long story, child. You need not worry about such things. The human is coming for you, I can see that much, it does not appear she means you harm. You must go with her and find if the humans hunters know of where I am."

So Unohana was alive?

"What if she comes to kill me?"

"Fear not. I cannot use my full power, but even in this weakened form I can give you plenty to end her without fail. You are clever, I am sure you will manage to survive in the hunter's fold," the shadow said.

"And what do I have to gain from this?" I replied.

"A world without suffering." The emperor's voice echoed as everything went dark around me.

-:-:-:-

The nights wore on as I waited to see if this hunter would show and I fed very well. As expected the cultists offered me their blood personally as ordered by their "emperor." It was certainly exhilarating watching those who had ignored me previously now kneel before me and offer their necks. I had never truly fed and bitten from flesh and my instincts sang to finally experience what it was like to take my meals directly. My fangs itched and as soon as they pierced flesh I was overwhelmed with how much more right it felt than drinking from cold little bottles. Nonetheless, the blood was as watery as I feared it would be. As expected I needed a lot before I felt truly satisfied, even then I drank on, hoping to sap them of any strength they would have to fight off this hunter.

Finally the night came where they sent Cirucci, the only one I cared to protect.

"Sousuke, I know you must be hungry, but can you promise me you'll take it easy?" She huffed after closing the door. I was sitting in a large chair in front of the hearth with Gin in my lap, trying to read him something besides his name sake. "Everyone has been feeling really weak since you started feeding, but the count doesn't seem to care."

"Cirucci, you're the only being down here who has ever shown me any sort of kindness, so I want you to listen well. If and when Unohana comes, I want her to kill all of them except you. I will go with her quietly. If Mother trusted her then so do I. The emperor has spoken to me, he will protect me if the other hunters come for me, but he won't lift a finger for the cult."

"Sousuke….that's insane, why are you telling me this?"

"Because, once the count is dead, you'll be free." There was no denying that. Vampires who fed on the blood of those elder or stronger were usually bound to their will. It was even harder to resist the one who turned and Sired you. The only thing that could sever that bond was true death. "Besides. I didn't ever get the impression you cared about the rest of them."

Cirucci paused, then she sighed and laughed a little. "Wow, you're not wrong I guess. Fine, I'll hide somewhere deep in the cave, just promise me Gin will be okay too."

I stared at the top of Gin's silver head as he tried to clumsily turn a page with his tiny hands. If I was really going to be taken away to some strange new land full of humans I certainly didn't want to go alone. He was all I had left that I could consider family. There was never a question in my mind that he was coming with me. If Unohana had a problem with that I would kill her and find another place for us.

"I could take him with me," She added. "I don't know where we would go exactly though, I've never known a home in Hueco Mundo besides this awful place."

"Maybe I'm being selfish, but no. He stays with me. I took responsibility for him and I'm not backing off now."

"So be it. I forget sometimes you're just as much an adult as the rest of us." She came over and offered her hand. "So you won't drain me then?"

I smiled and shook my head.

"No I'll take just enough so if I ever learn hemomancy I can find you and thank you properly. I trust you can play along?"

"I'll just act like everyone else, It's a deal." She winced as I bit her wrist and take a small sip. I had gorged on everyone else, I would be satisfied for quite a while but the others didn't need to know that.

With Cirucci potentially safe all I had left to do was prepare and wait.


	4. Prologue Part 4

Now that Cirucci was in on the plan to slaughter the cult she delivered three large, dusty leather folios the next night. They contained all the research and logs kept from when the cult was still actively breeding dhampir.

"It's a lot to comb through, a lot of it is unpleasant. The one thing you should know sooner than later though is that there is another way to produce vitae suitable for dhampir, you may not like it though."

I took the sheet of parchment she handled me and began to read the instructions.

Oh.

That might prove a problem.

Suddenly the sounds of screams came tearing down the cavern corridor. I nodded at Cirucci and we hurried to get her safe up into the false ceiling inside the closet.

"Okay Gin. We're playing hide and seek, alright?"

Gin giggled as I "covered" my eyes and counted and he crawled under the bed, the only hiding spot he could ever come up with.

I had already packed away the rest of my parent's blood vials and most of the books I wanted to take. Now all I could do was use my illusions to become invisible. I stood still and waited to be sure that whoever was causing the blood curdling chaos in the hall was Unohana and not that Kuchiki bastard.

There was some rattling at the door and when it opened I nearly sighed in relief, it was the woman my mother called Retsu. She was a rather tall woman with black braided hair, wearing a blood-spattered white cloak over her hunter's armor. There was no malice in her eyes, just an eerie calm as she scanned the library. She left and I followed after her.

Once I entered the corridor the smell of blood hit my senses like a wall. At least five of the cultists were collapsed in a heap, their blood soaking their cloaks an even darker crimson. Had they been trying to block off my room? I shook my head to fight off the dizzying scent and hurried after her. She moved incredibly fast, as she passed two more she sliced off the hoods to check their faces before cutting their throats before they could even lift a finger. She reached the war room and smashed the door knob with the heel of her boot, forcing rotten wood to splinter as it swung open.

"So it really is you. I should have known they had set you free as soon as you left my sight." The count was there, gripping the edge of the pool, still weakened from offering his blood to me a few nights prior.

"I had forgotten about that absurd Curse of yours." Retsu glared at the pool. "So you saw everything? Then hurry up and tell me where Sousuke is and I might leave without taking your head."

"You'll never be anything but a meddling slave, no matter what cloak the hunters gave you. You have no right to take him. You're just a tool of the humans now."

Retsu responded by leaping forward and slicing off both of his arms before pinning him to the cavern wall with her blade in his chest.

"Apologies, I've wanted to do that since you brought me to this awful place. Now where's Sousuke?" She spoke softly, dragging her blade up towards his throat

The count laughed as the blood began to seep from his mouth.

"Do your worst. You couldn't even save your precious masters. What makes you think you can protect their son?"

She sighed and flicked her blade up and to the side with one wide, elegant stroke. What was once the count collapsed as his head rolled into the shadows. She started to turn and froze, looking directly at me. In my shock of the gruesome display I must have dropped my illusion. The expression of calm cruelty faded as tears filled her dark gray eyes.

"Sousuke, you've grown so much. I-" Against my better judgement I dashed forward and hugged her around the waist, burying my face into her leather armor and sobbing. I didn't understand how, but seeing the hurt in Retsu's eyes resonated with the pain I had been trying to comprehend the last few weeks. She knelt down to my level and joined me in a proper hug. Somehow the embrace of this stranger allowed me to finally release the anguish I had been burying deep down. It was a long while before I was able to collect myself again and she patiently held me as long as I needed.

When I finally pulled back Retsu dried my tears with a clean patch of her cloak.

"I've killed eight. Tell me how many more I need to kill and soon we'll both be free of this place."

At that point in my young life those were the most beautiful words I'd ever heard.

-:-:-:-

I gathered my bag and travel clothes, trying to grasp that I was finally going outside. My head spun as I tried to think of any small books I could squeeze into my already full bag. I heard a few more screams echo through the caverns, sooner than I expected. She returned and set aside her bloodied sword.

"So...the library is your bedroom?"

"There's not much to do down here except read so it just kind of happened eventually."

Retsu checked through the bag of books and pulled out a few, setting them aside. "You won't need these titles, I have newer editions. Hold onto these vampire texts though, you're not going to find a lot of those in Seireitei."

"Newer like...updated information?"

"Well yes, better information and…" She looked at me quizzically and picked up one book by the corner as it began to crumble and pages came pouring out, sending a shock through my system. "Not rotting?"

At the time it hadn't even occurred to me there was such a thing as fresh, clean, sturdy, newly printed books. The whole library was filled with tomes rotted from moist air and vermin, I had just assumed that was the default condition of all books. I was shaken out of my confusion by the pat of a tiny hand and a giggle from under the bed.

"Oh, and if I'm going with you someone else has to come too." Now it seemed she could be trusted I ducked under the bed. "Gin, come on out of there, it's fine."

Gin toddled out clutching his picture book. He took one look at Unohana and dashed to hide inside my cloak.

"And who is he?"

"A failed experiment, I was able to save so I kept him hidden here. I call him Gin because he only ever wants me to read him that book."

"The count forced me to kill so many babes like him when I was trapped here. My Gift allows me to close wounds. The cultists would even have me cut babes from their mother's bellies then close them up. It brings me some small comfort that even one survived," she said reaching out and patting his silver hair. Gin reached up and grabbed the book back. He grinned and slapped the illustration of the titular silver fox.

"Oh, now who's that?" She asked.

He beamed up at her and kept slapping as he chanted "Gin Gin Gin!"

"Oh, then who's this?" She asked, poking his chest.

"Gin Gin Gin!" He laughed and clapped his hands.

"Sousuke, you're luckily I'm a captain. I don't think any other hunters could return from Hueco Mundo with two mysterious children and keep them away from prying eyes."

"So, is that the plan then?" Now that my head was clear again I realized I was so focused on leaving, I hadn't even considered where the future would lead.

"All Order captains have private quarters in their division's manor. I have too many rooms and no family to speak of. I wouldn't be who I am today if your mother and father hadn't been there for me. I'll pull whatever strings I can to ensure you and Gin are left alone for as much time as you need."

I glanced at my satchel and the old leather folios of research. I wanted to feel elated but there was that gnawing problem of how I would feed once my stores ran out. Would Retsu feel the same about taking us in if she knew how dhampir vitae could be replicated? Then again where would I turn? It wasn't as if I had anywhere else to go.

"Before we go...there's the matter of how I'm going to feed." Reluctantly, I took out the folio and handed her the page Cirucci noted earlier.

Retsu read through thoughtfully and a pregnant pause hung in the air.

"Well..." She started, causing a wave of cold fear that I had made a terrible mistake wash over me. Before tonight I had the childish notion I would just kill her and move on if she refused to protect us, but now I had met her I knew it wouldn't be that easy.

"It's also a good thing I'm the captain of the medical division," Retsu finished before handing back the paper with a cold smile. "And I know someone who could help."

Could this night have gone any better?

-:-:-:-

As we left the room the corridor still littered with cultist corpses and pools of vitae and filled with the scent of blood. Gin giggled and clapped his tiny hands when he saw the scene and started waddling to a puddle. Retsu grabbed him and lifted him to rest on her hip. She sheathed her sword, wiping a little vitae off on her finger from the blade and held it up for him. Gin looked at it for a second, then suckled on her fingertip. She pulled her hand back quickly before he could bite her.

"Here, he's just going to be a nuisance," I took an ornate dagger off one of them and cut my thumb, smearing a little vitae on Gin's lip. Gin smacked up the vitae and a few moments later made a little yawn and fell asleep against her breast. As I followed her out of the catacombs I checked every corpse, none of them seemed to be Cirucci so I hoped she could manage on her own from here on out. All I could hope now is that with the Count dead that she was free to do as she pleased.

As soon as we stepped outside and had to stop dead in my tracks. The sky was enormous and clear, allowing every single bright star, planet and galaxy to glimmer for me in their full glory. I had read of the skies, read poetry that praised its beauty, seen little sketches and paintings that tried to capture its splendor, but nothing had prepared me for seeing how truly magnificent it was to behold. I felt tears begin to slide down my cheeks again, shaking me from my awe. I saw Unohana waiting and I murmured.

"I'm sorry. I just…have never seen the sky before."


	5. Prologue Part 5

"Please everyone, these children have experienced a great deal of trauma. The situation is delicate and I will be caring for them personally for the time being."

"This must be quite a severe case," a timid voice interjected. "Will the orphanage not suffice?"

"Did you find them at a slave farm?" said another.

"They were at a breeding farm, yes. The conditions were unspeakable and I fear they might have been raised in darkness since birth. I will conduct the standard physicals for orphans and administer the Gift test when the time is right. Socialization may take a long while so please give them space for the time being.

Naturally, a division full of field medics and hospital staff was ready and willing to drop everything and help. Their captain having just returned after a sudden journey with two huddled children in tow. I blinked and rolled over in bed, eavesdropping as Retsu gently dissuaded her subordinates from bargaining into our new room with clothes, medicinal soups and kind words. It was almost eerie how her speaking was so calm and kind-hearted her manner of speaking was with them after I had seen how violent and merciless she could be.

The travel had been largely uneventful. We rode with haste to keep the three days journey down to one. Even with someone with Unohana's skill we were all in unfamiliar, dangerous territory. I spent the whole journey cradling Gin who wrapped in two layers of blankets, huddled under my cloak. Despite how much I yearned to take in the daytime world for the first time, my eyes were in pain from even the most overcast sunlight. Though it could not burn my flesh, it would be years until I could withstand it for long periods of time.

I had hoped that I could adjust by the time we reached Seireitei, so that I could at least see the Court of Pure Souls I had read about. But of course after more than a decade in darkness my eyes could not be fixed overnight. Instead I was finally able to remove my hood once we arrived somewhere in Unohana's manor and the thick drapes had been thoroughly shut. I had not slept at all the whole ride, fearing too much to keep Gin secure and protected from the light. There was barely a moment to appreciate my new surroundings before I was fast asleep on an impossibly soft bed.

It seemed the commotion outside had moved away from the door. Gin was sleeping soundly next to me. Only the faintest glow could be seen behind the drapes, but I stack a little pillow fort around him anyway before going back to sleep

-:-:-:-

When I finally awoke Unohana was there at a desk doing paperwork by candlelight.

"G'morn….night? What time is it? Where's Gin?" I mumbled seeing that the pillow fort was empty.

"You slept for two whole days, it's nighttime, and Gin's under the bed." She said gesturing downward with her quill.

In hindsight the room was rather ordinary, but as someone who had been living in caverns my entire life I was shocked to see smooth walls, new furniture and long drapes that went floor to ceiling. Then I saw it. A simple, four-tier bookcase filled to the brim, calling out to me.

I leapt out of bed so fast, my foot tangled in the covers and I landed face first on the carpet. Gin giggled and clapped from his hiding spot under the bed. Before Unohana could help me up I was already on my feet scrambling towards my goal. These books were nothing like what I had in the cave. They were beautiful and gilt with uncracked spines and newly printed pages that smelled incredible. I immediately started making a pile of ones I wanted to read and suddenly became embarrassed at my frantic behavior.

I turned and Unohana was hiding a laugh behind her hand.

"Well, I was going to ask how you would like to pass the time until we sort things out, but I think you answered my question already."

"I uh...sorry are these for me?"

"If you would like them then by all means. I think they're just here for decoration. No one has used this room in decades. These rooms are meant for the Captain's family and I have none to speak of"

Books as mere decoration? Humans were and always will be strange.

"Here, before you crack into those, give this a try." Unohana set aside her paperwork and produced three vials of blood from her cloak. I approached with my stack of books, cautiously setting them down and picking up the closest vial.

"Wait, already? Did you…?"

"As I told you before, as the Fourth Division captain and head of the hospital I can easily help with your problem. Don't worry, I tested it on a fresh cadaver, not a living soul."

That was somewhat reassuring, and made more sense as to why she agreed so readily after what she had read. The method the folio described involved injecting a living human with dhampir vitae. The infection would rapidly consume all blood in the body, rendering it into dhampir vitae, but it killed all test subjects instantly. A similar method was used long ago to turn humans vampiric, but in that case there was a chance they would actually survive. I supposed there was a possibility that it could work on a corpse if decay hadn't set in.

I swirled it around and the pearlescent vitae glow was present. It certainly didn't look like the ordinary bottle of human blood I had tried long ago. I drank the thing in one mouthful and with wide eyes I looked down at the vial and then Unohana.

"This is...incredible?!" It was basically the same as the cold tiny bottles, but now that it was harvested fresh it was even better than before. I didn't think my situation could become any better, but somehow it had.

"Oh what a relief. I was worried I'd have to try to pull some strings and have to test some criminals with life sentences. I had to use some of your father's blood, but I harvested as much as I could from the test subject. I will have to see if we can replicate the results using this 'second generation' blood."

"Thank you. For everything. I don't think I've had the chance to say it yet." I said, clutching the tiny bottle. Her dedication to take care of one of my most immediate concerns somehow made me realize how helpless I would be otherwise. Even if I had managed to kill everyone in the cave and escape with Gin and Cirucci I couldn't imagine things would have turned out this well for me.

Unohana was quiet for a moment; unreadable.

"If I had only come to their rescue sooner. They truly were incredible, Sousuke. You will never have the chance to know your parents. Hueco Mundo will never know what strong, honorable leaders they would have been. And I have to live with that burden."

"How did you even manage to escape from that place?" I had to know.

"I was sold Sakisabe when I was still a child, he made me use my Gift to heal the mothers of the breeding farms after cutting their bellies then kill and harvest vitae from babes that were unsuitable. The only solace I had was when you parents would bring me to the surface during the daytime when no one could bother us. Your mother showed me the art of the sword. Whenever either of us were injured, Ava would have me use my Gift and reassure me that it was meant to help people, not torment them. Even when you were in her belly she found the time and strength for me."

"Bram tried to join in training, but I was just too small for his combat style. I wanted to learn Ava's beautiful two-blade style, but there just wasn't enough time. As soon as they set off for war they insisted on bringing me and the count transferred my slave collar to her control. But once they had enough distance from House Sakisabe they sent me with some trusted allies to escape to Seireitei so I could have a future far away from the approaching war."

"I owe them everything I am today and when it was time for me to use everything I had learned and come to their aid I was just too late. I will do anything to make it up to you." She stopped a moment then said. "Sorry if I am rambling on. I have never been able to tell another soul here about the caverns."

"You can come complain to me about the old days all you want as long as I can do the same to you." I said with a grin. The old days huh? It was really hard to fathom that all of it was now just gone.

"Even though I was there when you were born I keep forgetting you are much older and wiser than you look, Sousuke. I still have a mountain of paperwork that piled up during my sudden departure." She said, rising and taking her paperwork and vials. "I'll continue to make sure the staff don't bother you. Take some time to rest and acclimate and we'll figure out where to go from there."

-:-:-:-

For the time being I was content to settle into my new room and spend all my time delving into piles of new books. It seemed Seireitei had better printing technology and could produce significantly more books with newer information than I would have ever hoped to find in that save. Some days I was paralyzed by all the literature I could choose between. I read deep into the history of the Order and their relations with my country.

The Court of Pure Souls was the capital of Seireitei and was the home of the Order's base of operations and the Shihouin royal family. Queen Yoruhiru had no power as a monarch, the title was tradition alone, but she served as captain of the Second Division. Over centuries the governing power of the country had shifted from the royals to the hunters. The family only managed to hold their position as their bloodline had been blessed with Gifts. It seemed like humans had their own noble houses, but it seemed only those with the ability to defend the land from vampires were able to avoid fading into obscurity. It seemed they were just as plagued with clans and noble houses as vampires were. I spent some time researching division captains over the centuries and naturally most of them were related to nobility and even the royal family in some way.

There were thirteen divisions in total with different specialties. Vampire hunter recruits came from all over the country, from noble families and orphaned street children alike. After training at the Academy some hunters were placed in permanent residence to protect the towns and villages of Seireitei from vampire attacks, but more than half remained in the capital and mobilized as needed.

Even though I was left alone I still searched for a good hiding place for my vampire texts. It seemed like there were enormous gaps in Seireitei's knowledge of vampire history and what I had dismissed as crumbing old tomes were now valuable goldmines of information unknown to the Order. My greatest surprise was a collection of Aizen tales, some of which I'd never read before. At first I was ecstatic, but I became quickly disappointed that his character wasn't quite the same in human tellings. They portrayed him less as a dark protector of the weak and forgotten and more of a cruel and ruthless monster written as a tale to frighten children. When I ran out of books I'd have to ask Unohana if there were more Aizen tales out there, hoping this was just an outlier.

It took me a few months to work my way through the folios of research. Partially because sections had become worn and faded with time, and partially because I could not stomach some of the gruesome details. It was becoming more and more clear how Gin's mother had been driven to madness down there. There were some useful notes on dhampir including a suggestion that consuming nutritious human food would expedite maturity.

Slowly I started acclimating to human food. Eating solid food was a bit strange so broths and soups were my preference for far longer than I care to admit. Unfortunately, proper vampires gained nothing from food so Gin was on a steady diet of regular human blood from the hospital. I was still relieved as he had been consuming a great deal of my vitae since birth and it was too soon to tell what it would do to his development.

While I read all day Gin was more than happy to dig into the chest of toys the fourth division had gathered for us. It was a good thing there was a fairly steady stream of new distractions as Gin would eventually tire out of playthings and start to climb furniture and curtains until something new and shiny came along. I tried to read him new picture books but he only cared about the ones that prominently featured foxes.

While I was happy in my little paradise I still itched to finally see the outside world. Since sunlight was still a pain I waited until a night with a clear full moon. I read that Curses were strongest during the full moon and I would have to rely on my illusions to stay safe.

I locked my door from the inside and fed Gin a bit of my blood to make him fall asleep. I turned invisible and took a closer look outside my window. There was a good amount of ivy and after years of sneaking around the caverns it wasn't a difficult climb down.

The paths around the manor and hospital were well lit with lanterns set along the path and mounted against the buildings. In a town of nothing but people who hunted creatures of the night it only made sense to erase the shadows they could hide amongst. I smirked to myself at the thought since it did little against vampires like myself. I moved carefully, avoiding crisp leaves and sticks on the ground, following the path until I emerged in some sort of market square.

I became so entranced I almost lost control of my illusion.

Lights.

Music.

Laughter.

All things I had been deprived my whole life suddenly unfolding in front of me like I had never imagined. Academy students in their white, crimson and blue uniform mingled with hunters in their black cloaks emblazoned with the Order's crest. A small band of performers filled the air with light, jovial music. Incredible scents of food I had never sensed before wafted through the air. I walked unseen by the bustling, warm taverns, shops of items I had only seen sketched in books, stalls of fresh produce and hot foods prepared on the spot. There were even trees and small flower beds I could spend hours in studying the plants and blooms I had only read about.

I was utterly enchanted. I had decided then and there that I would find some way to be able to live among them. The students laughing at some shared joke at the food stall, the lovers swaying side by side to the tune of the street performers, the hunters sharing tales of their adventures and days gone by. To them it was likely an ordinary night away from the stress of their line of work, but to me it was a whole new world I wanted to wrap around myself like a blanket.

For months I continued my secret escapes on the full moon. I was enjoying a particularly warm autumn night with a gorgeous harvest moon hanging huge and golden in the sky. I had taken in my fill of sights for the night and was slowly retracing my steps. Then a simple phrase pierced through the din of the crowd and stopped me in my tracks.

"Ah, Captain Kuchiki it's so good to see you are well!"

No.

I slowly turned and there he was. Ginrei Kuchiki. The face from my mother's vision, the man that had slain my father with his black moustache and neat kempt hair, wearing his white captain's cloak, drifting among the tavern patrons like a great white heron. His arm was in a sling, but otherwise he was healthy and stood tall alongside his attendants and subordinates.

I panicked and scrambled behind a planter full of flowers.

No.

He was alive?

It was only then I realized I had never asked Unohana exactly what happened that night when the Dhampir Rebellion was brought to an abrupt end. For some reason I just had assumed she had killed him if she managed to break away and come save me.

"Captain please join us! We have a room in the back!" Exclaimed some young hunter.

"Hmm, just for a while. The medics finally let me out of the hospital this morning. I'd prefer it if you don't drink me right back in there."

The hunters shared a laugh as they moved inside. I had to follow them and eavesdrop. I tried to move inside the tavern with them, but it was so packed together I would certainly bump into someone and blow my cover. It took a great deal of climbing and shifting along the back alleys, but I finally found a window to their private room and sat vigilantly listening in the shadows.

"Pray you never have to cross blades with a dhampir. Even weeks of starvation and moments from death she managed to take Captain Unohana's blade and run it straight through my heart. Even if it was a foolish move made in desperation, it was the perfect position to take her head"

"She disarmed Unoahana?!"

"I didn't even know that was possible. She's a beast."

"I don't quite understand why Captain Unohana was sent, but if she had not been there I would have certainly met a terrible end in that damned country. She healed the wound around my heart completely and stabilized me enough that I could make it through the journey home. A commoner she might be, but her Gift is an asset we cannot ignore."

"That's not what you were saying a few weeks ago!"

"So no more talk of the savage butcher maiden of Division Four?"

"That was then, this is now. On my honor as a Kuchiki I must atone for my previous transgressions against our fourth captain."

I want to scream at Unohana. Why didn't she leave him for dead after he killed mother and father?!

I was furious, I had to get back to the manor. I broke out into a run down a dark path I knew was a shortcut. Suddenly I slammed into someone and tumbled backwards, losing control of my illusion. It turned out to be a surly hunter hooded under his black cloak, the smell of alcohol emanating all around him. I turned to run but he grabbed my arm so hard I yelped in panic.

"What's the matter kid?" He summoned a handful of Gift fire and got a good look at my very visible face. His eyebrows furrowed at the sight of my fangs.

"Any vamp in a palace like this in the middle of the night is up to no good." The fire in his hand reshaped into a blade as I screamed and tried to wrench myself from his grip. Even in my darkest moments in the cavern I never felt terror like I did in that moment.

No.

Not like this.

**Worry not. **A voice said.

As the blade came down it crashed into a disk of black energy that emerged from my chest. Before I knew it I was suddenly above my body, looking down. The man screamed as the hand that was gripping me suddenly burst into black flame. My hand raised and an inferno of flame so dark it barely illuminated the night around us came forth and swallowed him. There was nothing left but ash on the wind.

**Make haste. **The voice returned. I felt cold everywhere as I gathered myself. Juhabach, the mysterious shadow from my dream, must have made good on his word to protect me, but the result was so dire power was so catastrophic and terrible I didn't know how to feel.

I worked up a slapdash guise of invisibility as I ran back. However I was so distraught by whatever had just happened that I climbed the ivy recklessly and scrambled into a window of the wrong room. That realization only came to me as I looked up and saw that the room was not my own, but significantly larger and filled to the brim with even more books and jars of curiosities. Panicking I started to open the window again when I found I couldn't move a muscle. I was frozen solid in place.

"Who are you?" A calm voice questioned. I shivered as I felt my veins thrum suddenly and the voice asked again.

"...Wait, what are you?"

-:-:-:-

After some maneuvering I was now seated across from a man with ebony skin and violet hair braided into rows. A strip of white cloth was tied across his eyes.

"Alright now talk. I have never once sensed blood composition such as yours. What are you?"

"I...I uh…I don't understand. You can just sense blood?" I stammered clumsily. My head was still spinning from my anger from the market square and my brush with death.

"I can. That is my Gift. I can manipulate any and all vitae at will."

"That's an amazing feat, are you at Captain?" I asked, hoping to divert the topic.

"Stop dodging the question," was his only response.

"I…" I wondered if I should ask for Unohana. I was still within the Fourth Division manor. This person probably worked with Unohana to some extent, but I couldn't gauge if he could be trusted with my secret. I decided to play the helpless child angle. I learned from my Aizen tales that it was best to speak in half-truths.

"Captain Unohana saved me from a breeding farm in Hueco Mundo and brought me here to keep me safe. I'm sorry for disrupting you, I was just exploring and came back in the wrong window."

"You're lucky Retsu already informed me that she brought two vampire orphans from Hueco Mundo. I just never thought one would come tumbling through my window unannounced."

Relief washed over me and with a clearer head I finally had a chance to think. Then it hit me.

"Wait you're...Kaname Tousen?" Among all the portraits in my book of captains past it was hard to miss the one who covered his eyes like that due to his blindness.

"How do you even know that name?"

"I've been studying the history of the Order and the succession of captains. You were the Fourth Division captain before Unohana. You're….supposed to be dead."

There was a pregnant pause, but I pushed through anyway.

"It would seem neither of us is supposed to be here."

He hesitated a moment then spoke.

"Yes, I was the captain of the Fourth Division. I was infected in combat. As my vice-captain Retsu gracefully took control of the situation and helped me hide away during my frenzy. The grave that bears my name is empty."

"But you're from one of the Shihouin branch families. How did she manage that?"

"That's not important right now, child." He nearly spat. "If anyone finds out she's harboring vampires, no matter how charitable her reasons may be, the punishment would be death. A very slow, public, humiliating death. The nobility are always looking for reasons to crush the growing influence of commoners in the Order, so don't give it to them by sneaking around and putting her life on the line."

"I understand, sir," I said solemnly. I had been so selfishly confident in my Curse that I had never considered how devastating the consequences would be for Unohana.

He dropped his hand and the freezing sensation on my body faded.

"Let me examine your hand, I sense that you're hurt."

I hesitated, but slowly raised my left hand with the burn scar. He cradled it in his large, leathery hand.

"I can only heal wounds and ailments I understand. This is something very different from an ordinary burn. You had best ask Retsu to care for it while you confess to her what you've been doing. Her Gift can heal more thoroughly than mine."

"What's the extent of her power? Could she...for example, save someone who's been beheaded?"

"She had a strong wound healing Gift, but she cannot not raise the dead."

"I see…" It was not as if she could have actually saved Mother then. I suddenly felt foolish for doubting her for even a second. If I had confronted her in anger I would sound like nothing more than an ungrateful child for everything she had done.

"Hurry back to your own room, I won't tell Retsu of this meeting if you promise to tell her the truth and stay out of trouble. For her sake and your own."


End file.
